For many, graduation is the "smell ya later" sayonara from the jungle of catty cliques, mental breakdowns and collective angst we call high school. For some, this is referred to as "the glory days", but for the vast majority it was simply four years of jail without recess. Being stuck in the same place for four, six or even twelve years for many, people are eager to get on with the next chapter of their lives. College is full of excitement and newness and opportunity. But as you continue to meet new people, you'll start to realize that there will always be a special space reserved for those kids who stood by your side through the excessive anxiety, first heartbreaks and long nights of just driving around because there was nothing better to do.

Everyone says college is the next chapter of your life; college isn't just a new chapter, its a whole new book. There's a new setting, completely different characters, a different plot- and even a new and improved protagonist. To say the least, the person you were in high school is not the person you will be in college. You're older and hopefully wiser, and its an opportunity to cleanse the pallet and start anew. That guy you called a doorknob in high school could be the most likely to succeed of his college. The gossip girl of the town could become president of chess club. So naturally, the friends you make in college really can't be the same as your friends from home, because you're really not the same person you used to be.

But as you start making these new friends, you'll start to see more and more the impact those hometown kids had in your life. All the stories you tell to your new college pals? Your high school friends were there. All those important, defining moments in your life up until now, they lived through them with you. All those crazy anecdotes about "this one night" and "that one class" have one thing in common- your best friends from home all shared those moments with you. They laughed with you in those "I guess you had to be there" stories and they understand why when that one Taylor Swift song comes on you instantly tear up.

They're in all the pictures on the walls of your dorm room. They're the wallpaper on your computer.

They were there through that terrible phase when everyone wore Bermuda shorts and way too long Aeropostale graphic tees, and together you conquered the awkward brace-faced years. They were there through the junior high dances, any and every boy crisis, and the long and painful days of Driver's Ed. They were on the field next to you at your last high school sports game. They walked out the school doors by your side on your last day.

They were the first people you told when you had your first kiss. They were the first people you drove when you got your license. They were the first names to pop up on your cell phone screen on the morning of your birthday. They were the first ones you hugged at graduation. They saw you grow, and you watched them grow.

Of course, you'll meet a plethora of new, amazing people in college and in the rest of your life. Lots of people even meet their best friend or soulmate in college. But no matter what, they weren't there for your years of soul searching and growth in high school. They'll never know the twelve or sixteen year old you.

Whether you decide to stay in touch or completely burn the bridges that connect you to your hometown, those friends you had growing up will always hold a special place in your heart. They're the people you'll tell your kids about when they're in high school, desperately seeking someone to relate. They're the smiling faces you'll point out to your kids when they pull out your old high school yearbook.

So to my friends from home- thank you for the inside jokes, shoulders to cry on, listening ears, much needed hugs, nights of wasting time, help with homework, endless laughs, and memories to last a lifetime. Bonds may fade and people may drift, but you'll always be in my heart.